Beck's April 1994 article in the Atlantic Monthly, "The Ordeal of Immigration in Wausau," brought national media attention and commentary to the issue of mass immigration. [4] The New York Times credited Beck's NumbersUSA organization with applying enough pressure to U.S. Senators to defeat a comprehensive immigration bill in June 2007.[5] He has been described as a "tutor" for U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo on immigration issues.[6]

Beck has gained notable attention via a colourful presentation on YouTube where he used gumballs to illustrate the infeasibility of immigration as a tool to alleviate world poverty. The conclusion was to help the impoverished where they are, instead of exporting them to richer countries.[7] Figures from the world bank do not match the video, they show 1.85 billion people living on less than $1.90 in 1990 reduced to 881 million in 2012 and 767 million in 2013.[8] The video starts with the premise "Some people say mass immigration can help poverty". According to the American Immigration Council, there are no categories of immigration intended to alleviate poverty. The categories for immigration to the US are Family Based, Employment/Skilled Based, Refugees and Asylees.[9]